Chapter 619: Nine Months
Chapter 619: Nine Months
Shizuru was well aware of Ober's thoughts.
Not only that, but he also remembered how Ober was later found by Shellos and rescued from the time rift, allowing him to witness the impending disaster that was about to unfold.
Ober returned to his world and joined forces with Adou and Sakaki to stop the three legendary Pokemon, Kyurem, Dialga, and Palkia, from destroying the world.
In the end, Ober returned to the Kagi Gym and resumed his role as a regular Gym Leader.
"What are your plans for the future?" Shizuru asked.
"I don't know..." Ober was well aware that this was another world, and everything here was unfamiliar to him. "For me, just being able to live with the Little Pig and the others is enough."
"I will," Shizuru thought to himself.
At that moment, Ober seemed to take an interest in the Pokemon on the World Tree, and he turned his gaze out the glass window, asking, "Did you build this Ecopark for these Pokemon?"
Ecopark? Shizuru pondered for a moment and nodded. "You could say that."
The Pokemon employee, Volcarona, brought afternoon tea and snacks to the two of them.
Ober watched this scene and couldn't help but mutter, "This is so surprising! I've never seen such a social group of Pokemon before; they're just like humans."
"Pokemon are very intelligent creatures. If they want to learn, they can quickly master any life skill," Shizuru said with a smile, inviting him, "Would you like to take a tour of this place?"
As far as he knew, each world had its own unique circumstances.
The world in the Special Edition that Ober was from was very different from his own.
Although Trainers and Pokemon were also popular there, the relationship between wild Pokemon and humans wasn't as close as it was here.
Moreover, during Trainer battles, it was common for Trainers to directly attack each other, bypassing their Pokemon, which made that world feel more realistic.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Ober nodded.
So, Shizuru proceeded to give Ober a tour of the World Tree.
They visited the farming area, saw the wise Stunfisk, observed the process of wheat being ground into flour, and even checked out Milotic's sushi shop...
As he witnessed these scenes, Ober felt like his worldview was being challenged.
"Is your world like this?" he asked in a daze.
"Of course not," Shizuru shook his head. The wild Pokemon outside were different from those on the World Tree. "This is a paradise I created for Pokemon, and this situation only exists here."
Ober suddenly understood, and he said, "Pokemon and humans... Even in our world, they have a very close and friendly relationship."
"That's why many people feel sad and can't let go after losing Pokemon they've spent so much time with... If one day, the Pokemon you've been close to leaves this world, would you do something like this too?"
Ober suddenly asked this question.
Shizuru was slightly taken aback, and the image of the Pokemon on the ranch flashed through his mind.
As far as he knew, the lifespans of those Pokemon were all longer than his own...
"Maybe," Shizuru paused and then said, "I'll find a way to stay with them, but I won't harm those innocent children."
"I understand," Ober nodded lightly. He seemed to want to say something more, but just then, a member of the Expedition Guild suddenly ran towards them, shouting as he approached.
Shizuru and Ober turned around and saw Charizard flying in from a distance.
Behind Charizard was a small, light green Pokemon with a pair of transparent wings on its back, resembling a tiny forest sprite.
It was... Shellos?
Shizuru was stunned.
Ober, standing next to him, also had an expression of disbelief on his face.
This was because he had recognized that Shellos—it was the very same Shellos he had captured with the GS Ball that could capture time!
But... how did it end up here?
Upon seeing Ober, Shellos was delighted and flew over immediately.
Charizard landed next to Shizuru, and together they watched the scene.
"Charizard, what's going on here?" Shizuru couldn't help but ask.
"Roar!" Charizard let out a cry and then carefully explained the situation to Shizuru.
It turned out that while traveling back and forth between the Wonder Maze and the cracks between worlds, it had accidentally encountered this Pokemon named Shellos.
Shellos seemed to be searching for someone, and upon seeing Charizard, it immediately flew over to ask if it had seen an old man.
Charizard said it hadn't, but perhaps the Pokemon on the World Tree might know something.
So, it brought Shellos to the Expedition Guild headquarters, and indeed, they learned from the Pokemon there that Daikon Duck had brought a human back.
"Pi!"
Upon seeing Ober, Shellos immediately communicated with him.
Ober was completely baffled.
Noticing that Ober couldn't understand her, Shellos quickly used her psychic powers to project a vision of the future into Ober's mind.
After a moment, Ober's eyes widened, "Is all this true?"
"Pi!"
Shellos nodded repeatedly.
Ober furrowed his brows, deep in thought for a moment. Then, he turned to Shizuru and said, "I have to go back. I'll always remember what happened today, and I'm truly grateful for your hospitality."
Shizuru raised an eyebrow, well aware of the situation between Ober and Shellos. He was just surprised by the coincidence.
"It seems it's time to say goodbye," Shizuru said.
The group returned to the Time Gate, with Ober and Shellos standing in front of it, about to enter. Ober turned back, paused, and said to Shizuru, "After I return, I'll do my best to make amends to the children I abducted and apologize to them."
Shizuru nodded, and then smiled as he saw Ober off, "I wish you all the best."
Ober silently nodded, turned around, and disappeared into the depths of the Time Gate with Shellos.
"Phew..."
Shizuru finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Arceus had mentioned that there might be people from other worlds who accidentally enter this one, Shizuru never imagined that the first person would be the special episode's Masked Man, Ober...
He had fantasized about numerous possibilities, like Red and Green from the game world, or even Blue and Lily if he had to settle.
For example, Red, training on top of Mt. Silver, encounters a Pokemon from another world. Hearing about powerful Pokemon on the World Tree from them, he accepts their invitation and begins a new training journey on the World Tree.
However, unfortunately, Shizuru could only imagine such scenarios.
Red is human and cannot understand Pokemon language, so all his assumptions are invalid.
Sigh! Shizuru had really wanted to meet Red, the so-called strongest trainer in the Pokemon world, to see if he was the same as in the game, only knowing "...".
After seeing Ober off, Shizuru heaved a sigh of relief. He rode the Gogoat and left, returning to the ranch.
In the year 203 of the Paldea League, September, Autumn.
Time had quietly ushered in autumn, and the leaves on the trees began to turn yellow. The entire Paldea Region was blessed with a bountiful harvest.
As the Chief of the Paldea League, Ye Ci was the first to hear about this news.
Reports poured in from various places, all stating that the harvest was abundant, and the quality of the crops was better than ever before. The fruits on the trees were large and round, and the grains in the fields were full and plump. The dishes made from these ingredients gained popularity among food enthusiasts.
Other regions, upon hearing the news, even started contacting Paldea to import agricultural products.
Ye Ci was delighted to hear this, although she didn't know what had happened. She believed that all this was closely related to Regigigas.
The Paldea Region's prosperity today was largely due to Shizuru bringing Regigigas back to the ranch years ago.
Agriculture and tourism had significantly boosted the economic development of the Paldea Region.
In recent years, the Paldea Region's global status and popularity had been steadily rising, almost rivaling the well-known Unova Region.
Ye Ci was thrilled, and whenever she was happy, she couldn't help but reward Shizuru.
On September 12th, Shizuru was tending to the Little Tree in the ranch when he suddenly noticed Aime visiting.
Seeing Aime, Shizuru was surprised and hurriedly approached him to greet him.
"Mr. Aime, what brings you to the ranch today?"
"I'm here on a business trip," Aime replied, still looking like a corporate slave. He handed Shizuru a gift and said, "The Chief asked me to deliver this gift to you. Now that the gift is delivered, I'll be on my way."
Aime nodded at Shizuru and hurried off, just as hurriedly as he had arrived.
Shizuru: "..."
Well, he didn't need to guess; it was Ye Ci's arrangement.
But how did Ye Ci come up with the idea of sending him a gift?
Shizuru examined the box in his hand and opened it to find some local specialties from other towns, which weren't particularly expensive.
Shizuru took out his Lottom Phone and sent a message to Ye Ci.
[Wing King: Why did the Chief suddenly send us a gift today?]
Ye Ci replied promptly.
[Ye Ci: Of course, it's for the celebration!]
[Wing King: Celebration?]
[Ye Ci: The Paldea League had a great harvest this year, and the crops in all the regions are doing very well.]
Upon reading this, Shizuru immediately understood.
Ye Ci still believed that all this was due to Regigigas! Shizuru was speechless for a moment. After thinking about it, he thanked Ye Ci.
Shizuru put the gift aside and turned to face the ranch. He looked in the direction of Kabuto Park.
In a grassy field, a little girl with pink hair tied in pigtails and bright, black eyes sat on a picnic blanket, fiddling with a Doduo watering can in front of her. Several Pokemon companions lay by her side, leisurely napping in the afternoon sun.
"Qi Shu!" Shizuru approached with a smile and asked, "What are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, Qi Shu looked up. She lifted the Doduo watering can high above her head with all her might, making cooing sounds.
"Wah!"
Shizuru's heart melted at the sight. His daughter was so well-behaved! It had been nine months since Qi Shu was born, and the nine-month-old baby had grown and developed, now able to sit steadily and even crawl around.
Thinking back to the ugly, squishy newborn she once was, Shizuru felt a sense of accomplishment seeing her now as a cute and lovable little girl.
After all, he had raised her with his own hands!
Shizuru sat down on the grass, lowered his voice, and said to Qi Shu, "Baby, call me Daddy!"
Qi Shu looked at him, blinking innocently.
In recent days, Shizuru and Ai Guan Shi had started teaching Qi Shu how to pronounce words and speak, but they hadn't seen any noticeable progress yet.
However, Shizuru didn't give up and continued their daily lessons.
He slowed down his speech and demonstrated, "Dad—dy."
Qi Shu: "Babble~!"
"Dad—dy!"
"Wah!"
Shizuru: "Take your time, say 'Dad—dy.'"
Qi Shu seemed to be trying hard to learn, opening her mouth as if imitating Shizuru's pronunciation.
"Wah wah!"
Shizuru: "..."
"Giggle giggle!"
Qi Shu started giggling, clapping her tiny hands together.
Shizuru brought Fireant over to Qi Shu and said to her, "This is Fireant, your best friend!"
Qi Shu had been sleeping with Fireant in a crib since she was a baby, and they were very familiar with each other's presence.
So when she saw Fireant, Qi Shu immediately cooed and pounced on it, playing and frolicking with the Pokemon.
Fireant was different from other bug-type Pokemon; its body was soft and furry, and it felt very comfortable to touch, which Qi Shu loved.
Fireant's eyes lit up with happiness as Qi Shu patted and played on its body.
Shizuru sat between Gogoat and Motolizard, smiling as he watched this harmonious scene.
Unlike humans, a nine-month-old Pokemon is considered fully developed, so Fireant was already an adult.
Shizuru planned to start teaching Qi Shu about trainers and Pokemon in a few years when she was old enough to understand.
By the time Qi Shu turned ten, Fireant should be able to evolve into Volcarona.
When Qi Shu started her journey, Volcarona could protect her.
In the evening, Ai Guan Shi returned to the ranch after her shift at the gym.
After dinner, the family sat on the sofa, watching Qi Shu crawl around on the carpet.
"It's been over nine months since Qi Shu was born," Ai Guan Shi said. "It's probably time to wean her off milk, right?"
Shizuru nodded. In the Pokemon world, weaning typically occurred between eight and twelve months after birth, depending on the baby's growth.
Of course, it all depended on the baby's development.
In Qi Shu's case, she was healthy, energetic, and full of vitality, so it was time to start weaning.
"In that case, let's start tomorrow!" Shizuru said.
The next morning, when Qi Shu woke up from her sleep and cried for milk, Shizuru brought her a large bottle of Moogloom milk.
Since Ai Guan Shi worked at the gym every day, she would store her breast milk in bottles in advance for Shizuru to feed Qi Shu when she was hungry.
Now, the milk in the bottle was replaced with Moogloom milk.
Qi Shu held the bottle and immediately noticed something was off.
She looked at the bottle with her big, adorable eyes and then cried out to Shizuru.
Shizuru, with a straight face, said, "Drink up! Your mom prepared this especially for you!"
Qi Shu took another sip, still unsure, and realized it was the same unfamiliar taste.
Daddy was lying!
Tears welled up in her big eyes, and she tossed the bottle aside, looking like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Shizuru: "..."
"Mommy's at the gym, and this is the only milk we have at home. What should we do?" Shizuru pretended to be troubled.
The next moment, Qi Shu burst into tears.
Emperor Flame, Water Lord, and Thunder God, who had been watching, felt their hearts tighten at the sight.
They surrounded Qi Shu, trying to distract her and draw her attention away from the milk.
Emperor Flame shot a disapproving glance at Shizuru.
Shizuru's eyebrows twitched, and he couldn't help but think, 'Are you Qi Shu's dad, or am I?'
(End of Chapter)
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